Strong partnerships will help attract and retain women in the mining workforce

The Women Leaders Institute in partnership with the Minerals Council of Australia will host the Women in Mining and Resources Leadership Summit in Perth next month to help drive the business case for diversity and inclusion in Australia’s world-class resources sector.

“Strong partnerships focused on the value of mentoring and leadership will help to attract and retain women in our workforce, which in turn drives productivity, innovation and performance,” said Tania Constable, MCA CEO and keynote speaker at the summit, taking place in Perth from 27 - 29 August 2019.

Constable will be joined by industry leaders such as Elsabe Muller, Asset President of BHP Mitsui Coal and Shelley Robertson, Executive General Manager of Energy at Mineral Resources Limited at the summit to discuss mentoring, education and inclusion to drive change for aspiring and established women leaders through business empowerment, leadership and career advancement.

“The minerals industry is working hard to support workforce inclusion with companies like BHP and St Barbara showing the way on gender equality, closing the pay gap and supporting career advancement to senior executive roles,” added Constable. “Encouraging women to pursue and continue a career in mining is vital if we are to increase the number of STEM professionals in resources and build the minerals workforce of the future.”

The summit will also support the Stars Foundation as its official charity partner. Ten per cent of the summit proceeds will be donated to support and enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young women to make active choices towards realising their full potential.

The impetus behind this initiative came from a recent survey by the Women Leaders Institute that polled female professionals working across the mining and resources sectors. The survey found that only 33% of industry professionals had seen an increase in the number of female employees in executive management and leadership roles over the past five years.

The survey also concluded that less than 15% of women in the mining and resources industry believe that diversity and inclusion is currently being prioritised within their organisation, but 75% of professionals would like to break down stereotypes in traditional mining and resources sector ‘boys’ clubs’ and improve women’s skills in high impact leadership and leading high performance teams.

Based on the need for expanded opportunities to drive diversity and inclusion identified through this survey, the Women Leaders Institute and the Minerals Council of Australia have responded with the establishment of the upcoming summit.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet formal and informal mentors, be inspired, expand their professional networks, empower colleagues, and share stories to benefit the training and development of rising stars in the industry through interactive engagement.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/17072019/strong-partnerships-will-help-attract-and-retain-women-in-the-mining-workforce/